Romanian Club Astra Giurgiu's Woes Continue As Jailed Owner's Early Release Rejected

The financial woes of Romanian top tier club Astra Giurgiu "are set to continue as an application for an early release filed by its jailed owner, Romanian businessman Ioan Niculae, was recently rejected by a local court," according to Jaroslaw Adamowski of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. Niculae "is currently serving a sentence of 914 days, and, under Romanian law, to be granted an early release, he must serve at least 304 days." The businessman "was sentenced on April 2, 2015 for two-and-a-half years of prison for providing illegal funding to the electoral campaign of Mircea Geoana." Following Niculae's imprisonment, local media reported that "the troubled club could be taken over" by Steaua Bucharest Owner Gigi Becali, who earlier this year was released from prison. In addition to Astra, Niculae "owns local agricultural and fertiliser group InterAgro and a number of other businesses." According to Forbes, he is Romania's richest person, with an estimated net worth of $1B (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 9/29).